Chicago Bulls Star Could Be Back By Mid-January

According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, former NBA MVP Derrick Rose has started the rehab process and could be back on the team bench by mid-January. Rose suffered a torn meniscus after just playing in 10 games of this season.

“He’s doing fine, coming along,” Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said for the Sun-Times. “He’s on a crutch, he’s got his brace, so I don’t want him sitting there like that now.”

This is the second time Rose has gone down to injury. In the 2011 playoffs, Rose tore his ACL in his left knee which sidelined him for the remainder of the playoffs and the entire 2012 season. In 10 games of the 2013 season, Rose averaged 15.9 points and 4.3 assists per game.

“Well, he can lift upper-body, do all his rehab stuff, so he is starting to move around a little bit now,” Thibodeau said for the Sun-Times. “He can go in the pool.”

Despite not having their star point guard, the Bulls are currently 13-18 and hold the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. They are also just four games back from the Atlanta Hawks, who hold the third seed in the conference.

In his career, Rose is a 3 time All-Star (2010-2012), 2009’s NBA Rookie of the Year, All-NBA First Team in 2011 and the NBA MVP in 2011. When healthy, his skills allow him to be considered the best overall player in the league. It will be interesting how Rose can regain his former self after two major surgeries.

Chicago forward Luol Deng told the Sun-Times that his teammates are playing smarter and protecting themselves to avoid injuries.

“Yeah, I think we learned from the past,’’ Deng said. “I think the players, too. We talk to each other. In the past, I would’ve been out there playing, then missed another month or so. And I really don’t want to do that.

“And the other thing is, I don’t want to keep coming in and out. I think that’s the last thing we need. We’re trying to get going. But, definitely, I think we’re being smarter this year,” Deng added.

- Zach Libby is a Staff Writer for ProSportsExtra.com

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